This invention relates to chewing gum compositions having longer lasting sweetness and more particularly to chewing gum compositions incorporating a major amount of gum base in amounts sufficient to achieve a reduction in quantities of bulk sweetener without a reduction in sweetness duration.
The sugar alcohols non-cariogenic bulk sweetening agents do not provide increased sweetness over sugar. Certain sugar alcohols, such as sorbitol and mannitol, provide less sweetness per gram than sucrose. Chewing gum compositions relying solely upon such sugar alcohols for sweetness have less sweetness than a chewing gum composition sweetened with an equivalent amount of sucrose Relied upon primarily for the non-cariogenic effect, sugar alcohols possess an undesirable laxating effect. For this reason, the reduction of sugar alcohol bulk sweeteners in chewing gum compositions is also desirable.
One alternative to bulking agents in chewing gum compositions is gum base. A chewing gum composition high in gum base content may also thus be reduced in bulk sweetener. From the disclosure of Bahosky, U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,285 (hereafter the '285 patent) longer lasting sweetness would not be expected from a chewing gum composition in which quantities of bulk sweetener had been replaced by gum base. This reference teaches that to obtain longer lasting sweetness, a major amount of bulk sweetener must be used in combination with an intense sweetener, and that longer lasting sweetness cannot be obtained in compositions having less than 50% bulk sweetener, even when intense sweeteners are used in amounts up to 1.5%.
In addition to imparting sweetness, and as taught by the '285 patent, longer lasting sweetness when combined with an artificial sweetener, the soluble sugar and sugar alcohol bulking agents also impart a discontinuity to the gum base which results in a softer, more pleasant chew and mouth feel. For this reason, such bulking agents cannot be entirely eliminated from a reduced calorie chewing gum composition.
Previous attempts to produce high gum base content chewing gum compositions have resulted in products with a hard, tight rubbery chew and poor texture without longer lasting sweetness. It has now been discovered that longer lasting sweetness can be obtained in a chewing gum composition comprising a major amount of gum base, artificial intense sweetener in quantities higher than previously known in the art and bulk sweetener in quantities lower than previously known in the art. Because the gum base is more than half of the total weight of the composition, the bulk sweetener implicitly is less than half of the composition.
Perfetti et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,223 disclose a non-cariogenic chewing gum composition comprising 92% to 99% by weight of the gum base, up to 4% of glycerol, up to 3% of flavorings, and no-bulk sweetener.
Klose et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,963 disclose a sugar-free chewing gum utilizing spray-dried polydextrose as the bulking agent. From 65% to 85% by weight polydextrose is incorporated into gum base to form a sugar-free unsweetened chewing gum.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,252,830 and 4,357,354 issued to Kehoe et al. disclose a chewable chewing gum base which includes gum base containing high levels of inert fillers, such as calcium carbonate or talc in amounts of about 50% to about 85% and about 40% to about 95% by weight respectively. The chewable gum base includes at least 10% air voids entrapped in the gum base matrix which, upon chewing, becomes filled with moisture causing asserted increase in bolus volume.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,091, Stroz et al., disclose a non-cariogenic, non-adhesive chewing gum consisting essentially of gum base, a substantially calorie-free sweetener, from 1% to 15% by weight alphacellulose and from 1% to about 40% by weight water. The chewing gum of Stroz et al., has a high bolus volume.
The prior art references, while effective to make reduced bulk sweetener chewing gums, result in chewing gum formulations having a hard chew or off taste or poor texture because of the use of high levels of fillers and texturizing agents. The references indicate that the use of high levels of fillers and texturizers are essential to obtain a soft chew product. There is no indication that it is possible to obtain longer lasting sweetness for a chewing gum composition sweetened with increased levels of intense sweetener when the bulk sweetener level is reduced. It would therefore be desirable to develop a chewing gum having longer lasting sweetness with a reduced bulk sweetener content without the use of high filler or texturizing agent content.